1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to active air intakes, and methods of regulating fluid flow into an internal combustion engine. More particularly, the invention concerns active air intakes utilizing active material actuation and corresponding latching, biasing, and overload/overheating protection configurations.
2. Discussion of Prior Art
Air intake systems, such as those adapted for use with an internal combustion engine, have been developed to manage the inflow of air, moisture and air-borne particulate matter into the engine. In an automotive setting, for example, air is typically fed into a conduit and/or manifold assembly prior to being combined with fuel to form an air/fuel mixture suitable for combustion. The ability to control the inflow of air enables the mixture to be modified desirably. As such, active air intakes have been developed that are manipulable at least between closed and opened conditions. Conventionally, active air intakes typically include rotatable louvers, reconfigurable sliding gates, or other translatable covers, and motors, solenoids or other mechanical devices that selectively cause the rotation, reconfiguration, and/or translation. Conventional active intakes, however, present various concerns in the art. For example, the addition of various electrical and mechanical components have resulted in packaging difficulty, an increase in mass and complexity, and reduced reliability in comparison to non-active configurations.